Detroit Tigers: 3 former players failing miserably on their new teams

LHP Gregory Soto—Philadelphia Phillies

Gregory Soto’s inconsistency as far as strike-throwing was something Scott Harris did not want to deal with, so he traded him to the Phillies this offseason along with INF Kody Clemens for Maton, Matt Vierling, and minor league C Donny Sands. So far, the Tigers appear to be winning that trade.

Soto’s inconsistency has followed him to the city of brotherly love. He got off to a horrendous start, only to rebound nicely and look like a really nice get for a bit. But he’s struggled again as of late.

It all adds up to a 4.70 ERA in 15.1 IP. He is striking out over 11 batters per nine, but he’s also walking over five batters per nine. The free passes have always been Soto’s Achilles heel, and that remains the case for him in Philadelphia.

Kody Clemens hasn’t been very good for the Phillies either, as he has just a 62 wRC+ in 35 plate appearances. The Tigers haven’t quite gotten the production they were hoping for from Maton and Vierling, but they’ve both shown flashes. Maton had that walkoff homer against the Giants, and Vierling homered off Max Scherzer last week. He’s also been outstanding in right field, ranking in the top 20% of the league in virtually every defensive category according to Baseball Savant.

We can judge this trade better at the end of the season, but right now I’d say the Tigers have the edge. Scott Harris appears to be winning his first trade as Tigers president of baseball operations.